Display board



March 2, 1943; F. G. H. ENGSTROM DISPLAY BOARD Filed June 20, 1941 l L I 1 l 3 L A jz' nfor EEZzga/rom Patented Mar. 2, 1943 DISPLAY BOARD Folke G. H. Engstrom, Rockford, 111., assiglior to American Cabinet Hardware Corporation, Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 20, 1941, Serial No. 398,896

4 Claims.

The invention relates generally to display boards and more particularly to a display board for use with items of which color is a feature in the selection thereof.

The general object of the invention is to provide a display board on which may be mounted articles of different colors to determine what background colors may be fittingly used with the respective colors of the articles.

More specifically, it is an object to provide a display board on which may be mounted articles provided with color, such as cabinet hardware, and which'is so constructed that difierent colors may be positioned so as to selectively form a background for the articles, to illustrate the decorative effect of the combinations of the colors of the articles and the backgrounds and thereby facilitate selection of such combinations.

Another object is to provide a display board having means for supporting a plurality of articles, such as items of cabinet hardware, such items being similar but of different colors, and having a structure permitting insertion of different colored backgrounds for the articles, to facilitate selection of combinations thereof, the backgiounds carrying indicia to show recommended combinations.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of a display board embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the board shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view on a reduced scale of parts of the device.

When a buyer selects an article for use in the home, which involves a question of color, it is desirable to be able to show him how the color of such article will look in combination with other colors. One instance where a combination of two colors is frequently used is in the decoration of modern kitchens. In such decoration there will usually be a background color and a color used in the trim. The color used in the trim is frequently used in the hardware mounted on such articles of kitchen furniture as the cabinets. As an example, the drawer and door pulls for such cabinets may comprise chiefly chromium plated metal but may also have colored parts such as stripes or panels or colored plastic inserts. It is of course desirable that the color of the cabinet produce a pleasing combination with the color in such drawer pulls, since the latter will be seen with the color of the cabinet itself as a background.

A device embodying the features of the invention is designed to facilitate the selection of a combination of colors, and particularly the selection of the color used in the hardware to combine with various background colors. Thus the device comprises generally a base on which may be supported samples of a hardware article, such as a drawer pull, in all the various colors in which it is regularly manufactured. The drawer pulls are so supported on the board that sheets of the different background colors may be selectively placed in back of the articles so that the buyer can see the exact effect of the various color combinations. To this end the articles are secured to a transparent pane so mounted on the board that a pocket is provided behind the pane. Into this pocket may be inserted sheets having the background color.

To further assist the buyer in the selection of color combinations, means is provided for indicating what combinations are recommended by authorities on interior decoration. For this. purpose, the sheets of background color carry indicia which, when the sheet is in place behind the transparent pane, are alined with the respec-.

tive articles making arecommended combination.

The preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing comprises a base Ill in the form of a fiat board. Preferably the base isadapted to be supported in the manner of an easel and for this purpose a wire bail or support I l is pivotally secured by clips l2 to the rear of the board.

Means is provided on the front face of the board for supporting the differently colored articles and the sheets having the background colors so that the two may be seen in juxtaposition. In the present instance, by way of illustration, the hardware article herein shown is a drawer pull comprising a bowed strip of metal l3 (see Figs. 3 and 4) having a plurality of longitudinal grooves M in its front face. The metal strip I3 is preferably chromium plated, while the grooves are suitably colored by means of enamel. At the ends of the strip l3 are plastic inserts I5 of the same color as the enamel in the grooves. The colors utilized on such articles are usually standardized and are herein indicated in Fig. l by the symbols for ivory, yellow, green, blue, red, and black.

The symbols of the articles having the various colors are mounted on the board in such a manner that the background colors may be placed behind them to permit their effect to be noted. To this end, the six samples of pulls are mounted on a transparent pane l6 such as a piece of lucite. The pane is supported on the board in slightly spaced relation thereto so that the sheets of background color, here indicated at 11, may be selectively inserted between the board and the pane. To this end I provide parallel spaced guide members to permanently retain the pane l6 in place and to provide a pocket in which the colored background sheets I! may be selectively inserted. In their preferred form each parallel guide member comprises an outer channel (see Fig. 4) and an inner channel 2i, the latter being of less width than the outer channel and being positioned therein. side are positioned to face the channels on the other side. The rear flanges of the inner and outer channels are longer than the front flanges and are secured flatwise to the board as by screws 22. The space within the outer channels but in front of the inner channels is utilized to receive and hold the side edges of the transparent pane l6, while the sheets I? are adapted to be inserted with their side edges in the inner channels 25.

Both the pane i6 and the sheets I? are sup-- ported at the bottom preferably by tabs 23 integral with and bent forwardly from the rear flanges of the outer channels 2 3. The transparent pane it with the drawer puils are held rigidly and permanently in place. To this end the front flanges of the outer channels 2% are provided with tabs 24 bent over the upper edge of the pane It.

The pocket formed by the inner channels 2| behind the pane [6 to receive the sheets i! is of such size that several sheets may be held therein at a time. However, it is of course only the front sheet that is visible through the pane as a background for the articles. The inner channels 2| are open at their upper end so that the sheets I? may be readily withdrawn and shifted. To facilitate insertion of the sheets, the rear flange of the inner channel 2| extends upwardly beyond the outer flange a short distance and is bent rearwardly at an angle, as at 25 (see Fig. 3), to assist in guiding the sheets l1 into the channel. In order to hold the sheets tight against the pane It, a comparatively flat leaf spring is secured to the board as by a screw 26 near the lower end of the sheets. The leaf spring thus presses the sheets forwardly flat against the pane [6.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of means to facilitate selection of color combinations by indicating which of the colors of the articles are recommended for use with the various background colors, such recommendations being those of authorities in decorating. To this end each sheet I? is provided with indicia so located as to be positioned adjacent the different colored handles with which the particular background color is suitable. In the present instance, the handles are vertically alined and are spaced a short distance from one of the side guide members. Each sheet is provided with indicia in the form of stars 21 which when the sheet is in place appear in the space between the articles and the side guide. Thus, in the illustration in the drawing, the first or front sheet shown is White, and stars are printed thereon so as to be visible at the side of all of the drawer pulls except the ivory colored pull. In other words, a white background is recommended as suitable for use with yellow, green, blue, red, or black drawer pulls but not with the ivory colored pull,

The sheets are also provided with small tabs-28 at their tops differently located on the respective The channels on one as abackground for said cards in the manner of index tabs, so that any particular color of sheet may be readily withdrawn and reinserted in the front of the pocket. When so inserted the stars 2'! are located properly relative to the different drawer pulls.

From the foregoing, it Will be apparent that I have provided a display board on which may be mounted items of different colors to facilitate selection of suitable background color for use with respective items. The background colors are carried on sheets positioned, when the board is viewed from the front, so that each article is seen with a background of the given color. Thus a buyer may readily select the color of the item which he desires to use with a given background color, or he may select a combination of colors for the background and the article. The stars on the respective sheets give the buyer a suggestion of what an authority on matters of color considers to be best. I

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a base. a pair of laterally spaced members each providing a pair of channels facing toward the channels of the opposite member, a transparent pane mounted and permanently retained in the front channels, a plurality of differently colored articles mounted on said pane, and a plurality of differently colored sheets slidably mounted in the rear channels whereby the sheet at the front may be viewed as a background for the articles. v

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a base, a first pair of laterally spaced channels mounted on the base to face each other, a second pair of channels mounted within the first pair but of lesser width than said first pair, a transparent pane rigidly mounted in the space in the first pair alongside the second pair, a plurality of differently colored articles mounted on said pane, and a plurality of differently colored sheets slidably mounted in the second pair of channels whereby the sheet adjacent the pane may be viewed as a background for the articles.

3. A device of the character described coinprising, in combination, a base, a transparent pane, means for supporting said pane in slightly spaced relation to the base, a plurality of differently colored articles mounted plurality of differently colored sheets slida'b'ly inserted between said base and said pane whereby the sheet adjacent the pane may be viewed as a background for said articles, and resilient means tending to hold said sheets flat against said pane.

4. A device of the character described com prising, in combination, a base, a transparent pane mounted on said base, a plurality of articles diiferentlycolored but otherwise identical mum ed in alinement on said pane, a plurality of differently colored sheets removably supported by said'base in back of said pane to selectively serve articles, and indicia on the respective sheets located so as to ,be visible through said pane at the side .of certain of sai d art cles to designate the various article co-102 5 which are recommended for use withhthe '15s ticular background color. I

FOLKE G. 'nirncsraom.

011 sa d na CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,312,552. March 2, 19M.

- FOLKE G. H. ENGSTROM.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in the above numbered patent was erroneously described and specified as "American Cabinet Hardware Corporation whereas said name should have been described and specified as -American Cabinet Hardware Corporation, Rockford, Illinois, of Rockford, I11- inois, a corporation of Illinois", as shown by the record of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of May, A. D. 1915.

Henry Van Arsdale, (sea-U v Acting Commissioner of Patent." 

